ST. LOUIS HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION

HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION REPORT
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UPDATE:

Interstate 70 opened to through traffic at 6:15 p.m. Sunday evening. Crews with St. Louis-based Spirtas Wrecking Company removed Madison Overpass over the weekend in preparation of the upcoming construction of the new Mississippi River Bridge.

Removal of Madison Avenue Overpass Begins Process for Construction of New Mississippi River Bridge
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), March 6, 2010 - MoDOT closed Interstate 70 and all ramps, between the Poplar Street Bridge and St. Louis Avenue, over the weekend of March 5-8 to remove the Madison Street bridge.

The interstate closed at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and is scheduled to reopen no later than 5 a.m. on Monday, March 8, for rush hour traffic.

Motorists will have to plan alternative routes through downtown St. Louis as major highway closures downtown are planned for the next several months. Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and its contractor Fred Weber, Inc., closed Interstate 70 reversible lanes for two months as part of constructing the Madison Street bridge over the interstate.

Closing the reversible lanes will help crews construct the middle support structures needed for the bridge.

The work is being done in conjunction with constructing the new Mississippi River Bridge to relocate I-70 across the Mississippi River.

To get around the interstate closure, drivers must use a combination of Broadway Street, Washington Avenue and Memorial Drive. The detour around the work will be marked. However, since much of the detour is on roads with signals, drivers should make every effort to avoid the area, if possible.

"If people don't use alternate routes to travel to downtown, the detour for the I-70 work will take a long time," said Gregory Horn, P.E., project director for the Mississippi River Bridge project. "We are encouraging people to avoid the area by using other routes. For example, people can use the Chain of Rocks Bridge on I-270 or the Jefferson Barracks Bridge on I-255 to get between Missouri and Illinois, use I-270 to get around St. Louis County, or use I-64 to get into downtown St. Louis."

An estimated 70,000 vehicles travel on I-70 through downtown St. Louis each weekend.

See related story: Missouri, Illinois Reach Agreement on New $640 Million Mississippi River Bridge

Statewide Impaired Driving Crackdown Planned March 12-14
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), March 6, 2010 - The luck of the Irish will not be with you this St. Patrick's Day weekend if you drink and drive. Law enforcement officers across Missouri will be cracking down on drunk driving with increased enforcement March 12-14, the weekend leading up to St. Patrick's Day.

Keep the streets safe by drinking responsibly and designating a driver who has not been drinking before heading to the local parade or pub.

"St. Patrick's Day is a time to celebrate the Irish heritage and gather with friends, but it can quickly end in tragedy due to impaired driving," said Leanna Depue, chair of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety's executive committee. "If you plan on drinking, don't rely on luck to keep you safe. Plan a safe ride home before the festivities begin."

Seat Belts Just Don't Click With Teens
ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), March 6, 2010 - Under Missouri's Graduated Drivers License Law, seat belt use is required for young drivers. It is a primary offense. Unfortunately 40 percent of Missouri teens don't buckle up. Law enforcement will be out in full force March 15-31 to crack down on unbelted drivers and save lives.

One in four Missouri traffic crashes involves a young driver. Between 2007 and 2009, 304 teens (15-19) were killed in traffic crashes. Of those killed, 72 percent were unbuckled.

"Many drivers take the attitude that 'it will never happen to me,' especially teens, but fatal crashes happen every day to all types of people," said Leanna Depue, chair of the executive committee of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. "Law enforcement will ticket teens who aren't buckled up."

Missouri will also continue to educate teens on the importance of buckling up through statewide seat belt programs, such as the Get Your Buckle On campaign, Battle of the Belt program and Team Spirit.

Sponsored by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, the Get Your Buckle On educational campaign encourage teens to visit getyourbuckleon.com and submit a seatbelt dance reminding teens to click it.

"The best way to reach teens is through their peers," said Depue. "We're asking teens to help save the lives of their friends by reminding them to buckle up every time they get in a car."

Archived News:

Removal of Cass Avenue Overpass Begins Process for Construction of New Mississippi River Bridge

Missouri Highway Fatalities Lowest Since 1950

Can St. Louis Become the Bridge to Somewhere?

Increases in Rest Areas and Truck Parking Keeps Drivers Safe

Snow Brings Out Road Crews on Holiday

Traffic Congestion Increases As Motorists Navigate New I-64 Interchanges

New I-64 Reconstruction Is a 'Winner' for Motorists

Hanley Road Bridge Reopens to Traffic One Month Early

MoDOT using Twitter for Traffic Updates in St. Louis, Kansas City and along I-70

New Entrance to Forest Park Opens for Summer Season

MoDOT Reveals Top 10 Work Zones To Look Out For

Hanley Road Overpass at I-64 Taking Shape

New State Transportation Program Presents Uncertain Future

Railroad Side Track to Add Capacity for Amtrack Trains

Missouri Has First-In-Nation Economic Recovery Project

Grand Party Celebrated Opening of West Half of I-64

Reconstruction of Interstate 64 Is Ahead of Schedule

YouTube Video Shows How Dedicated Truck Lanes Could Work

Drivers Reminded Not to Barrel Through Work Zones

Missouri, Illinois Reach Agreement on New $640 Million Mississippi River Bridge

MoDOT To Launch Origin/Destination Web Tool

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